Recording in too soft?

charmedbymusic

New member
Hey,

So I'm a new member to this forum (and home recording in general) and just from looking at this section, I can tell that I have a LOT of reading material to catch up on. Right now, though, I've got one wall I keep hitting. Most of my recording is done just using MIDI, but I've also been recording live bass and vocals on occasion, though with my equipment, I don't expect these to be flawless. To do this, I'm just plugging directly into a Steinberg CI1 and recording into my DAW (Reason). Also, I switch between a MacBook and a Yoga 910 for recording in, if that makes any difference.

What I find is when I try to record in bass, it comes in really soft. If I turn up the volume on the Steinberg, it records in louder but very peaky. I recognize that the recording quality isn't the best in general with my little set up, but I like the tone and lo-fi feeling to it - I just wish I could get it louder without getting those crackles. Same issue with vocals, though these record in at least a little louder and clearer before hitting the crackle wall.

My question is this - how do I record a louder sound in without peaking, and which volume controls (DAW, Interface, etc) should I be focused on? Do I just need to upgrade my equipment or clean up my playing style?

Thanks!
Char
 
Hi there,
The short answer is you don't. You record your bass/vocal at a healthy level then mix it with everything else.
If that means bringing everything else down around it, then that's the thing to do.

The longer answer is that you can use dynamic range compression, or limiting, to (wow) reduce the dynamic range or a recording.
That means the peaks aren't as high relative to the average and your recorded track will be perceived as being louder.

The main rule really is to get a healthy recording. A signal that sits far above hiss, noise floor etc but isn't so strong that it clips.
If you have that, you'll always be able to work with it.
 
In terms of specific numbers, it's typical to aim for an average level of about -18dBFS. That is, the level of the track should go above and below that point throughout the take. Doing it like that puts your audio well above any noise inherent in digital recording while leaving plenty of room above for peaks. You don't need to be super precise about that number, just be somewhere in that range.

And, yes, as stated, lower your backing tracks as needed to accommodate recording additional tracks around that target level. Keep things in that range for the whole tracking and mixing process. Once the song is mixed to a stereo audio file you can master it: apply final eq, dynamics and volume processing.
 
We all want that good looking signal, but you probably shouldn't fret over it too much on recording digital. In a lot of DAW, you can highlight the track and make it's profile larger and small with the mouse

You can use processors to work on peaks, but it might not hurt to spend some time learning to get your playing and singing EVEN
 
It's the midi instruments that are throwing you off. Those always render super loud.

It is not realistic to record vocals or bass guitar at the levels that midi instruments are at. In order to get a decent mix, you will have to turn the midi instruments down by about 12db to get a realistic mix between midi and recorded instruments.
 
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